At over 1,000 pages, it’s not a quick, easily-distilled read, though in summary there’s no way to sugarcoat the report’s sobering conclusions. According to the authors, not only are the impacts of climate change “already being felt in communities and regions across the country,” but numerous facets of American life, including its public health, economy, infrastructure and ecosystems will be adversely affected unless prompt steps are taken to mitigate it. Couple this with the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report on climate change (Global Warming of 1.5 ºC) released in October, and you have some of the most unequivocal evidence yet that human activities are the primary reason for our current unprecedented pace of climate change.